The speed of a rocket through the air similarly increases drag. Making a rocket as narrow as possible is the best way to reduce drag. Drag depends on the cross-sectional area of the object pushing through the air. Rockets with a larger diameter have more drag because there is more air being pushed out of the way. At supersonic speeds (faster than the speed of sound), the best shape is a narrower and sharper point. If the speed of a rocket is less than the speed of sound (1,200 km/h in air at sea level), the best shape of a nose cone is a rounded curve. The first point that meets the air is the nose cone at the front end of the rocket. The amount of air resistance that opposes a rocket’s motion depends mainly on the shape of the nose cone, the diameter of the rocket and the speed of the rocket. Leadership and Management in Engineering (2011).Nose cone and rocket diameter affect drag ' Wernher von Braun and the Race to the Moon (opens in new tab)'.Transactions of the Newcomen Society (1995). ' The V2 Rocket-a Convergence of Technologies? (opens in new tab)'.' V2: The Nazi rocket that launched the space age (opens in new tab)'.' Beyond: Our future in space (opens in new tab)'.

Current Swedish Archaeology (CSA) (2016). ' The Air Torpedo of Bäckebo (opens in new tab): Local Incident and World History'.Additionally, you can learn more about Wernher von Braun by reading NASA's biography (opens in new tab).

Additional resourcesįor more information about the V2 rocket, you can visit the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum website (opens in new tab). This vehicle successfully brought the first astronauts to the moon in 1969. The team's experience in handling the large V2 rocket assisted the US in the Space Race and von Braun became the chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle, according to the BBC (opens in new tab). President Eisenhower moved the rocket development centre from the Army to NASA, to change the focus of von Braun's work.Īt NASA, the rocket scientist had to alter the advanced technology to produce a rocket that could stay in space, rather than one that was designed to fall. During this test, it reached beyond the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space. Wernher von Braun and some of his colleagues moved to the U.S, where they worked to develop the Saturn V rocket, according to NASA.Īccording to Science Museum (opens in new tab), the V2 rocket became the first to enter space during a test carried out by the Nazis in 1944. While one is of disaster and destruction, the deadly missile's technology was later used in a key milestone of space travel. There are two legacies left behind by the V2 rocket. Rocket components Spaceflight contribution During his time there, he used his rocket-making skills for more beneficial purposes, by helping design the rocket that took astronauts to the moon. Later, following WWII, he accepted the role of director at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centre. As a member of the Nazi party himself, von Braun was committed to producing a successful vengeance weapon, according to NASA (opens in new tab).Īfter surrendering to the Americans during the war, von Braun shared his knowledge of the V2 rocket with the U.S. It was at this facility that he led the design and development of the missile. Having been fascinated by rocketry since he was young, and joining the Society for Space Travel at school, von Braun had become the technical chief of the rocket-development facility in Peenemunde, Germany. German engineer Wernher von Braun led the team who built the V2 rockets, according to the journal Leadership and Management in Engineering (opens in new tab). Engineer Wernher von Braun with models of rockets he worked on.

Shape rocket